‘NDP Surrey Tax’ website takes aim at province’s role in police transition

A new website is warning of “a massive, double-digit tax hike” to pay for the Surrey police transition ordered by the B.C. government.

The NDP Surrey Tax site launched Friday, seemingly by the City of Surrey, whose logo appears at the bottom of the page.

It’s taking aim at the BC NDP, which it claims is “trying to force the City of Surrey to accept an expensive, disorganized police transition that will do nothing to improve public safety.”

“The NDP police service will cost Surrey taxpayers nearly half a billion more over the next 10 years, compared to keeping the RCMP,” the website reads.

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Launch of the website comes just days after the city announced another legal challenge to the police transition directive issued by Solicitor General Mike Farnworth in July of this year.

On Monday, Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke said the city was filing an “additional petition” in court “that will outline where we are moving to” in what she described as the effort to “stop the NDP police service.”

She called the move a “significant step” in stopping the transition from the RCMP to the Surrey Police Service and preventing the province’s “attempted police takeover which would require double-digit NDP tax hike on Surrey taxpayers.”

Locke has claimed Surrey residents could be looking at a 20 per cent tax increase if the transition to the municipal force continues.

However, Farnworth called the new legal challenge another delay tactic, noting that dragging the transition out is simply a “waste of money and a waste of time.”

“We have men and women who do a very difficult job. We’ve had tragedies this year involving police officers, funerals. And so, for the mayor to say it’s an NDP police service, quite frankly, I think it’s a disgrace,” he said.

The new website went live as the city heads into budget season. It also comes a week before the administrator Farnworth appointed to temporarily take over the duties of the Surrey Police Board is set to deliver his budget to the city around the transition. The City of Surrey’s website says the budget should be presented at a public hearing in either December or January.

Currently, there are few details about what that budget will be, and how the $150 million funding offer from the province could affect property taxes for residents.

In addition to questioning the financial aspects of the police transition, the NDP Surrey Tax website claims there would be “no public safety benefit” in switching from the RCMP to a municipal force.

“Today, 75% of the police in Surrey are with the RCMP. Surrey has been given no plan for the transition,” the website claims.

It also claims the police transition will mean less funding for other areas, including housing, schools, hospitals, and transit.

Stewart Prest, a political science lecturer at UBC, tells CityNews Locke appears to be “pushing for what she sees is the best outcome for herself and the city without regard for the broader provincial considerations.”

He adds, when looking at polling on the issue, voters are divided on who to blame. 

“Mayor Locke and her supporters on council see this as a do-or-die type of issue, so they are willing to bring out all the stops and burn, effectively, any bridges with the province with whom they must continue to work with.”

CityNews has reached out to Mayor Brenda Locke and the province for comment.

-With files from Cole Schisler, Charlie Carey and Liza Yuzda